


A Beautiful Start to a Lifelong Love Letter

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, Idiots in Love, M/M, Oblivious Theo Raeken, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15222905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: Mason and Theo go grocery shopping and Theo decides it's a good time to bring up the fact that he's in love with Mason.That's it.  Seriously, that's all it is.Title and inspiration from "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles





	A Beautiful Start to a Lifelong Love Letter

“I know this isn't fair for me to say.  I know I should just keep it to myself, but I just can't anymore.  It's stupid. I'm in love with you. I can't keep living like this.”  Theo crossed his arms, defiant frown on his face despite Mason’s lack of reaction to anything he was saying.

 

They stared at each other, still standing in the middle of the grocery store.  Mason set down the grocery basket and crossed his arms, giving Theo a thoroughly unimpressed look.

 

“You couldn't wait until we were done shopping to do this?”  Mason spoke in a flat tone, frowning at his roommate with narrow eyes.

 

“You're the one who brought up having people over and hosting a Fourth of July party together!”  Theo argued, his voice rising hysterically as he shrugged his folded arms up defensively.

 

Mason's face dropped into an expression of mild shock.  His eyes stayed squinted, focusing on Theo like he was trying to figure out who he was and what he’d done with the chimera that he’d gotten in the car with twenty minutes ago.

 

“You've completely lost it, Theo.”  Mason shook his head in amazement. “What in the fresh hell are you talking about.  Why does throwing a party equate to you being frustrated enough to profess your undying love for me?”

 

“Oh!  Now you're just being dramatic, I never said it was undy-”

 

“Theo, Jesus Christ, why are you having a fucking fit over this?!”  Mason’s hands flailed in the air as his eyes bugged out in exasperation.  “We are buying groceries. They're just groceries. We need to eat. We also need to feed the people who will undoubtedly crash our apartment this week, armed with supernatural appetites.  Why on earth would that provoke you to start this inevitable but highly untimely conversation?!”

 

“Because!”  Theo shouted back, before his face scrunched up and his arms dropped to his sides lamely.  “Wait. Inevitable? You… you knew?”

 

Mason rolled his eyes and picked up the grocery basket, starting to walk away, confident that the other man would follow.

 

“Of course I knew, was I not supposed to?”  Mason laughed humorlessly. He heard the chimera sputtering behind him, but definitely moving to follow him over to the back of the store for the dairy products.

 

“Why haven't you ever said something?  Is this a joke to you? And why don't you hate me?”  Theo hissed, trailing close enough behind Mason that he could hear clearly.

 

The last question made Mason turn around quickly in place, causing Theo to almost mow him down in the process.  Luckily, Theo's reflexes caught him before they collided, leaving them toe to toe, nose to nose.

 

“Why would I hate you for having feelings for me?”  Mason asked, genuine confusion on his face. His eyes grew wide again as he finally realized what was going on.  “Are you really that… Ugh. _Christ_ , Theo. Do you actually think I don't have feelings for you too?”

 

Theo stopped breathing, visibly.  His hands, which had come up to grab Mason’s shoulders, flew off of the other boy in shock.  He took a step backward, finally sucking in a deep breath and furrowing his brow in concern.

 

“What are you talking about, no you don't.”  Theo whispered weakly.

 

“Theo, please just...  Look, I think we should talk about this at home.”  Mason sighed tiredly. He brought his free hand up poking Theo in the chest with a finger as he continued talking.  “ _ Our _ home.  Where  _ we _ live.   **_Together_ ** .  And have for like… two years.  Two years in which I have not dated.  Not once.  _ At all _ .  Like, not even kind of.  I mean, like… Are you  **_serious_ ** right now?”

 

Mason turned around and promptly continued making his way down their shopping list, throwing in extra shredded cheese and sliced pepper jack before moving down to the meat section.

 

Theo eventually followed, after Mason had thrown in an outrageous amount of ground beef, sausages and kielbasa.  He grabbed Mason by the elbow.

 

“Mason, what-”

 

“C’mon man.”  Mason huffed and pulled his elbow free.  He looked at Theo disapprovingly. “I just want to finish getting the rest of this list and go home, okay?  I get that you’re apparently  _ just _ figuring out what the rest of the fucking pack has known for like… years, but I swear to Christ, if you don't drop this until we get home and I grab a beer and take a shower, I will never ever, ever, and I mean  _ never _ have sex with you.”

 

Mason shook his head and started toward the frozen section.  Theo gaped after him for a moment before the words caught up with him.

 

“That's an  _ option _ ?!”

 

*****

 

Mason knocked on Theo’s bedroom door softly.  The chimera looked up from his bed at the slightly ajar door and locked eyes with the human, a silent invitation to come inside.  Mason stepped inside the room, looking around nervously before settling his gaze on the bed and the man sitting up at the head of it.

 

“I'm sorry I lost my patience.”  Mason sighed. He took a seat next to the chimera, both of them leaning against the headboard with their knees propped up, matching socked feet in front of them.

 

This wasn’t their first fight.

 

The two had been living together so long that their things were more than just mingled.  Their basic needs clothing were all identical. Socks, work out shorts, sweats, pyjamas. Theo knew their scents were practically indistinguishable from each others, and he couldn't tell you who had originally owned the long sleeved thermal shirt that Theo was wearing at that moment.

 

Theo didn't know when they started being a ‘they’ instead of two different, independent people, but he’d be willing to bet it was around the time they had apparently  _ both _ developed feelings for the other.

 

“I'm sorry I brought it up.”  Theo looked out the window next to his bed, frown set.  “I know I'm… I know it's probably shitty to have feelings for me, and the more I think about it, the more I understand why you didn't say anything.”

 

“Yeah, sometimes it has been really shitty.”  Mason huffed, surprising Theo and causing him to look up, hurt evident in his eyes.  “What? You’re the one that said it. Look, Theo…”

 

Mason took a deep breath in.  He reached for Theo’s hand, lacing their fingers together and rubbing a soothing thumb across the older man’s own, much less calloused thumb.

 

“I don't think you  _ do _ understand why I never said anything.  It would've been so easy at any point to just say ‘fuck it’ and take you to bed with me, because its obvious we’ve both wanted that.  But I am all in here. Physically, emotionally... just… it's so much more complicated because of our past.” Mason paused, looking back up into Theo’s gaze.  “We’ve been through a lot, man. And most of it has been great, but like, the beginning wasn't too pretty.”

 

Theo looked down and away at that.

 

Mason brought his free hand up to pull his face back toward his own.

 

“See, that's why it's been shitty, Theo.  That right there.” Mason held tight to Theo’s jaw, a pleading look in his eyes, begging the man to understand.  “You aren't over it. Which, you shouldn’t be. You know that, I know that, the whole entire city of Beacon Hills knows that.  I don't know if you'll ever be over it. But what I do know is that you have needed me and relied on me for validation and acceptance for the past few years and I get it, really I do.  And I  _ do not _ regret being that person for you.  I know that it's hard to live with whatever nightmares of your past are constantly flying around in your head.  And I will be here, Theo, every day, telling you that I care about you. That I trust you. That I believe you belong here.”

 

Mason’s eyes raked over the gorgeous features he’d come to know better than his own.  His hand traveled from Theo’s jaw to stroke the creased between his brows.

 

“I am fine with being the person who helps you remember your worth everyday, Theo.  The thing is, when I first felt whatever this is between us, I was terrified that it was just like… the Florence Nightingale effect.  Sometimes you look at me like I’m some kind of hero when all I did was  _ sign a fucking lease _ with you.”

 

Mason choked around his words, trying to keep his composure, but the fear and stress were evident in every ragged inhale.

 

“Like, I'm not a masochist, Theo, I'm not about to throw myself headfirst into a relationship with someone who loves me because I helped them get better, just to have that same person realize one day, when they finally  _ are _ better, that they don't really love me so much as they feel… indebted to me.”

 

The hurt look in Theo’s eyes returned.

 

“You think I would do that?”  Theo rasped out, clearly affected by Mason’s insecure confession.

 

“I don't think you would mean to?  Does anyone ever mean to do something like that?”  Mason shrugged, trying to convey through his eyes what he was too scared to say.  That he loved Theo too much. That he was too scared of losing Theo to risk it.

 

They sat in silence for a minute, staring at each other.  Sad, pensive, confused.

 

“What do you want to do then?”  Theo whispered. “I get that you don't want to lose this,  _ us _ , because I  _ clearly _ don't either, but I don’t have any way to prove to you that I’m not just psychologically indebting myself to you.  Just like  _ any _ person in  _ any  _ relationship can’t know that they’ll feel the same way forever.”

 

Mason’s heart beat harder as Theo went on.

 

Knowing, in theory, that Theo was in love with him was completely different than hearing the chimera be so open and honest about it.  Mason knew he’d probably made a mistake ignoring Liam’s advice and continuing to avoid the situation. His best friend had been telling him that his fears and insecurities were irrational for the past year, but Mason was stubborn.

 

Mason didn't want to get hurt again.

 

But one look in Theo’s eyes when he was with Mason would convince anyone that the man would do anything to keep Mason from every getting hurt.

 

Theo often looked at Mason like he would die for him, but this, now, the unmasked adoration in the chimera’s shining eyes… This was more.  This was Theo looking at Mason like he  _ lived _ for him.

 

“I get it, Mason.  I get wanting to be careful.”  Theo smiled warmly, tilting closer so that their foreheads pressed together.”  But I promise, this is as close as anyone can be to knowing for sure. This is the surest I've ever been about anything I've ever felt.  I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Mason. That is how I feel now, and that's essentially how I've felt since the day you signed that lease.  Maybe even before.”

 

Mason sucked in a harsh breath at the raw admission, shocked at how much he really wanted that too.

 

Theo was right.

 

No one could really know that they'll feel the same way forever.

 

“You know what I really want?”  Mason frowned, pulling back to look over Theo’s features once more. His hand traveled down Theo’s cheek, his heart skipping a beat as the chimera pressed into it.  “I just… I want to be with you.”

 

“Yeah?”  Theo smiled at him hopefully.

 

Mason couldn't help thinking that even if there was a small chance that this could all go to shit one day and break his heart, that this, Theo looking at him like that, with that shy, hopeful, excited smile, made it all worth it.

 

“Yeah.”  Mason exhaled, his eyes flicking down to Theo’s soft, plush lips in a silent question.  As he started to lean in, the smile on those lips quickly turned into a smirk, and when Mason looked into Theo’s eyes, he squinted warily at the mischievousness in them.

 

“So…”  Theo licked his lips while hungrily eyeing Mason’s.  “You’re saying that sex  **_is_ ** an option then?”

 

Mason rolled his eyes and tried to pull his hand out of Theo’s, fighting the smile that threatened to break out across his face.  He started to get up from the bed, a chuckling Theo refusing to let him go and pulling him back into his lap.

 

“Ugh, no, why do I even-”  Mason’s words were cut short when Theo finally pressed their lips together, soft and hesitant. Despite the playful teasing seconds before, his lips trembled against Mason’s, and the younger man maneuvered himself fully into Theo’s lap, deepening the long awaited kiss.

 

Theo released his hand in favor of running his burning hot palms up Mason’s back, under his shirt.  Mason felt like he couldn't breathe, the heat suffocating him, and yet he licked deeper into Theo’s mouth, digging his hands into his soft chestnut hair.

 

They shared air, biting at each others lips and moaning from the relief of all the sexual tension that had mounting for the past couple years.

 

“Mmph.  Mmm, wait.”  Theo mumbled against Mason’s lips.  Mason pulled back, worried, but his anxiety faded when he saw the cheeky grin covering his friend’s face.  “Can we do this in your room? Your bed is like 100 times nicer.”

 

Mason looked at him incredulously then his expression morphed into one of deep consideration.

 

“Yeah, you're right, it really is.  Let's go.” Mason nodded then crawled off of Theo, grabbing his hand to tug him excitedly down the hall, butterflies dancing in his stomach at the sound of joyful laughter behind him.


End file.
